Focus, Attention & Executive Functioning

Executive functioning is a set of thinking and self-management skills that help children organise, plan, focus, remember, and adapt to changes. These skills are essential for completing everyday tasks, learning at school, managing routines, and coping with new situations.

Occupational therapists support children to develop these skills through strategies that can be used at home, school, and in the community.

Key Areas of Executive Function

1. Working memory: Holding information in mind to complete tasks, such as remembering instructions or steps in a recipe

2. Planning and organisation: Setting goals, planning steps, and arranging materials or time to complete tasks

3. Task initiation and completion: Starting activities independently and following through until they are finished

4. Attention and focus: Maintaining concentration on a task despite distractions

5. Flexibility and problem-solving: Adjusting to changes, trying different strategies, and solving unexpected problems

6. Self-monitoring and reflection: Recognising mistakes, checking progress, and adjusting behaviour

7. Impulse control: Managing urges and delaying actions when needed

8. Emotional regulation: Using thinking skills to manage frustration, anxiety, and strong emotions

Why Does My Child Throw Their Book When Asked to Do Homework?

Many children struggle with homework not because they are lazy, but because tasks can feel overwhelming or confusing. Challenges like working memory difficulties, attention struggles, or sequencing problems, all part of executive functioning, can make it hard to start or complete homework independently.

Why Are Transitions Hard for My Child?

Transitions, like moving from play to dinner or switching between classroom activities, can be stressful for children. This difficulty is often linked to:

• Executive functioning challenges: Trouble planning, shifting attention, or sequencing steps

• Sensory sensitivities: Overstimulation from noise, light, or movement can make changes feel overwhelming

What does OT support look like in this area?

OTs help children focus on tasks, plan and organise activities, manage memory, and problem-solve. Support may include visual schedules, timers, stepwise instructions, and strategies for flexibility when routines change. Many of our clients have goals in this area as executive functioning challenges can often be the root cause of functional challenges in day to day life.

How OT support helps this area in everyday life

OTs often take a bottom-up approach to executive functioning. This means identifying the underlying challenges that make tasks difficult such as problems with sequencing, memory, or attention, and targeting these areas with specific strategies. By building skills at this foundational level, children can gradually apply them to real-life tasks. Executive functioning also plays a huge role in emotional regulation because when children can plan, organise, and manage their attention, they are better able to cope with frustration, control impulses, and respond to unexpected changes. Supporting executive functioning helps children feel more confident, independent, and capable both at school and at home.

How this skill can change as your child grows

• Preschoolers: following simple sequences and playing turn-taking games

• School-aged: planning schoolwork, using checklists, managing small projects

• Teens: balancing school, hobbies, and social commitments, problem-solving independently

How this skill can look at home, school, or in the community

• Completing a chore checklist at home

• Packing school bags independently

• Planning a small outing with friends or family

• Following instructions in the classroom

A real-life example

A 10-year-old struggled to remember steps for making a snack independently. OT introduced a visual sequence chart and encouraged the child to check off each step. Over time, the child successfully prepared snacks independently, improving confidence and daily living skills.